JP4488836B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner such as an air conditioner or an air purifier that takes in indoor air and sends it out, and more particularly to an air conditioner that sends out ions together with air .

  A conventional air cleaner is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This air cleaner is provided with an air inlet at the front of the housing and an air outlet at the top. The air inlet and the air outlet communicate with each other through an air passage, and a blower is disposed in the air passage. A filter that collects dust is provided between the blower and the air inlet. In addition, an ion generator for releasing positive ions and negative ions is provided in the air passage near the air outlet.

  When the blower is driven, dust is removed from the indoor air taken in from the air inlet by the filter. Ions generated by the ion generator are sent out from the outlet by an air flow flowing through the ventilation path. The positive ions and negative ions sent into the room surround and destroy floating bacteria such as molds and viruses in the room. Thereby, the bactericidal effect can be acquired.

JP 2002-102327 A (pages 4 to 10 and FIG. 8)

  However, according to the conventional air cleaner, ions collide with each other in the air passage to the outlet and disappear due to an air flow in which positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generator flow through the air passage. Therefore, there are a problem that a large amount of ions cannot be stably delivered, and a problem that one ion disappears due to a collision and the balance of the amount of ions is lost.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of delivering a large amount of ions in a balanced and stable manner in an air conditioner equipped with an ion generator .

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner of the present invention includes a blower that takes in air from an intake port and sends it out from a blowout port through an air passage, and is arranged adjacent to each other while facing the air passage. And an ion generator having first and second discharge units that generate positive ions by the first discharge unit, negative ions by the second discharge unit, and the first discharge unit. The second discharge part is arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the air flow flowing through the ventilation path so that the airflow passing through the first discharge part and the airflow passing through the second discharge part flow in parallel. Further, a partition wall for partitioning the first and second discharge parts is further provided in the air passage along the air flow .

  According to this structure, the air taken in from the intake port by driving the blower flows through the ventilation path. The ions generated in the first discharge part and the ions generated in the second discharge part of the ion generation part are separated from each other by the partition wall, and are sent out from the blowout port by the air flow flowing through the ventilation path.

Ion-generating portion of the first discharge unit positive ions generated in the the negative ions generated in the second discharge portions separated from each other by the partition walls, is sent from the blowout port by the air flow flowing through the air passage. The positive ions and negative ions sent into the room surround and destroy the floating bacteria in the room.

  Moreover, the air conditioner of the present invention is characterized in that the air passage is provided around the blower, and the ion generator is disposed on a peripheral wall of the air passage. According to this configuration, the air exhausted from the blower circulates along the outer peripheral surface of the air passage by centrifugal force, and is sent out from the outlet including the ions generated in the ion generating portion provided on the outer peripheral surface.

  According to the air conditioner of the present invention, the first and second discharge portions that generate ions are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the air flow that circulates through the air passage, and the partition that partitions the first and second discharge portions. Since the wall is provided, collision of ions can be reduced and a large amount of ions can be delivered stably in a balanced manner.

Also, while generating the positive ions by the first discharging unit, because generates negative ions by the second discharging unit, and reducing the collision between positive ions and negative ions are well balanced stable sends a large amount of ions And the bactericidal effect can be obtained stably. Furthermore, since the partition wall is provided in the air passage, collision of ions riding on the airflow flowing through the air passage can be easily reduced.

  Moreover, according to the air conditioner of the present invention, since the ion generating part is disposed on the peripheral wall of the air passage provided around the blower, the partition wall is disposed along the air flow to reduce collision between the ions and the partition wall. can do.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an air cleaner according to an embodiment. In the air cleaner 1, the main body 10 is erected by the support of the base 11. The front surface of the main body 10 is covered with a front panel 12. The front panel 12 is provided with an air inlet 13 for taking in indoor air, and a side air inlet 14 is formed by a gap between the main body 10 and the front panel 12. An operation panel 15 for performing user operations is provided on the upper portion of the main body 10.

  FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the front panel 12 of the air cleaner 1 is removed. A blower 25 composed of a sirocco fan that sucks in the axial direction and exhausts in the circumferential direction is provided in the main body 10. The blower 25 is arranged with the intake side facing the intake port 13, and the front surface is covered with a ventilation panel 28 having a ventilation port 27.

  The ventilation panel 28 forms a ventilation path 31 extending vertically in the rear part of the main body 10. The air passage 31 is provided with an air outlet 29 that opens upward, and an air outlet 30 that is bent obliquely upward and opens forward. As a result, the exhaust air from the blower 25 is guided to the air outlets 29 and 30.

  An ion generator 26 is provided between the blower 25 and the outlet 29. As shown in FIG. 4, the ion generator 26 has an ion generator 110 (ion generator) that generates ions when a high voltage is applied.

  5 and 6 show a plan view and a side sectional view of the ion generating element 110, respectively. The ion generating element 110 includes a dielectric 111, first and second discharge parts 112 and 113, and a coating layer 114. The first and second discharge units 112 and 113 are connected to the voltage application circuit 120, and the first discharge unit 112 generates positive ions and the second discharge unit 113 generates negative ions. Thereby, the ion generator 26 of an ion independent generation system is comprised.

  The dielectric 111 is formed by bonding a substantially rectangular parallelepiped upper dielectric 111a and a lower dielectric 111b (for example, 15 [mm] in length × 37 [mm] in width × 0.45 [mm] in thickness). As a material of the dielectric 111, inorganic substances such as ceramics such as high purity alumina, crystallized glass, forsterite, and steatite, and organic substances such as resins such as polyimide and glass epoxy excellent in oxidation resistance can be used. .

  In view of corrosion resistance, it is desirable to select an inorganic material as the material of the dielectric 111, and further, it is preferable to mold using ceramic in terms of formability and ease of electrode formation. In addition, since it is desirable that the insulation resistance between the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a and the induction electrodes 112b and 113b, which will be described later, be uniform, the material of the dielectric 111 has little variation in density and the insulation rate is uniform. The more suitable it is.

  The first and second discharge parts 112 and 113 are provided adjacent to the left and right so as to be orthogonal to the direction of the airflow flowing through the air passage 31. Thereby, as will be described in detail later, the air flow that has passed over one discharge part does not pass over the other discharge part. For this reason, it is possible to efficiently and well-balanced ion emission by suppressing the attenuation of ions generated in the first and second discharge units 112 and 113 by utilizing the effect of the ion independent emission method.

  The first and second discharge parts 112 and 113 have discharge electrodes 112a and 113a and dielectric electrodes 112b and 113b arranged to face each other. The discharge electrodes 112a and 113a are integrally formed on the surface of the upper dielectric 111a. Any material can be used for the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a as long as it has conductivity. For example, like tungsten, it is desirable not to cause deformation such as melting by electric discharge.

  The discharge electrodes 112a and 113a have discharge portions 112j and 113j that cause a discharge by concentrating the electric field, conductive portions 112k and 113k surrounding the periphery, and connection terminal portions 112e and 113e. These are all on the same pattern, and the applied voltages are equal.

  The discharge portions 112j and 113j are formed with a plurality of needle-like patterns with sharp tips, and positive ions are generated by a positive potential and negative ions are generated by a negative potential. At this time, since the periphery of the discharge part 112j causing the discharge is surrounded by the conductive part 112k having the same potential, the positive ions generated from the discharge part 112j are repelled by the conductive part 112k having the positive potential. As a result, it is possible to prevent the positive ions from being captured and neutralized by the discharge site 113j having a reverse polarity and a negative potential.

  Similarly, since the periphery of the discharge part 113j that causes discharge is surrounded by the conductive part 113k having the same potential, negative ions generated from the discharge part 113j are repelled by the conductive part 113k having the negative potential. As a result, it is possible to prevent the negative ions from being captured and neutralized by the discharge portion 112j having a reverse polarity and a positive potential. Therefore, the efficiency of ion generation can be improved.

  The induction electrodes 112b and 113b are provided in parallel with the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a with the upper dielectric 111a interposed therebetween. With such an arrangement, the distance between the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a and the induction electrodes 112b and 113b (hereinafter referred to as “interelectrode distance”) can be made constant. Therefore, the insulation resistance between the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a and the induction electrodes 112b and 113b can be made uniform to stabilize the discharge state and generate ions favorably.

  When the dielectric 111 is formed in a cylindrical shape, the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder, and the induction electrodes 112b and 113b are provided in an axial shape, thereby making the distance between the electrodes constant. Can do.

  As the material of the induction electrodes 112b and 113b, any material can be used without particular limitation as long as it has conductivity, like the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a. For example, like tungsten, it is desirable not to cause deformation such as melting by electric discharge.

  Discharge electrode contacts 112c and 113c and induction electrode contacts 112d and 113d are provided on the lower surface of the lower dielectric 111b. The discharge electrode contacts 112c and 113c are electrically connected to the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a via connection terminals 112e and 113e and connection paths 112g and 113g provided on the same surface as the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a. Therefore, when the discharge electrode contacts 112c and 113c are connected to the voltage application circuit 120 via lead wires made of copper wire, aluminum wire or the like, the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a and the voltage application circuit 120 can be electrically connected. .

  The induction electrode contacts 112d and 113d are electrically connected to the induction electrodes 112b and 113b via connection terminals 112f and 113f and connection paths 112h and 113h provided on the same surface as the induction electrodes 112b and 113b. Therefore, when the induction electrode contacts 112d and 113d are connected to the voltage application circuit 120 via a lead wire such as a conductive wire or an aluminum wire, the induction electrodes 112b and 113b and the voltage application circuit 120 can be electrically connected.

  The discharge electrode contacts 112c and 113c and the induction electrode contacts 112d and 113d are all preferably provided on the surface of the dielectric 111 other than the upper surface on which the discharge electrodes 112a and 113a are provided. With such a configuration, unnecessary lead wires or the like are not provided on the upper surface of the dielectric 111, so that the air flow from the blower 25 (see FIG. 2) is hardly disturbed, and the effect of the independent ion generation method is maximized. It can be demonstrated.

A voltage having an AC waveform or an impulse waveform is applied to the ion generating element 110 of the ion generator 26. When the applied voltage of the ion generating element 110 is a positive voltage, positive ions mainly composed of H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n are generated, and when the applied voltage is negative, negative ions mainly composed of O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m are generated. appear. Here, n and m are integers. H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m aggregate on the surface of airborne bacteria and odor components and surround them.

Then, as shown in the formulas (1) to (3), the active species [.OH] (hydroxyl radical) and H ₂ O ₂ (hydrogen peroxide) are aggregated and formed on the surface of the microorganism or the like by collision. Destroy airborne bacteria. Here, n ′ and m ′ are integers. Therefore, indoor sterilization and odor removal can be performed by generating positive ions and negative ions and sending them out from the air outlets 29 and 30.

H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m → OH + _1/2 O ₂ + (n + m) H ₂ O (1)
H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n + H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _{n ′} + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _{m ′} → 2.OH + O ₂ + (n + n ′ + m + m ′) H ₂ O (2)
H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n + H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _{n ′} + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _{m ′} → H ₂ O ₂ + O ₂ + (n + n ′ + m + m ′) H ₂ O (3)

  In addition, by disposing the ion generator 26 between the blower outlet 29 and the blower 25, the disappearance of ions due to the collision with the blower 25 can be prevented. In addition, an electrode for generating ions may be disposed in the air passage 31 and the power supply unit of the ion generator 26 may be disposed at another position.

  An air cleaning filter unit 20 and a humidifying unit 21 are disposed between the front panel 12 and the ventilation panel 28. The air cleaning filter unit 20 disposed facing the air inlet 13 (see FIG. 1) is designed to be incorporated into an air cleaner.

  The air cleaning filter unit 20 is provided with three types of filters, a pre-filter, a deodorizing filter, and a dust collection filter (all not shown) in order from the air suction side. The prefilter collects large dust in the intake air. Deodorizing filter Adsorbs odor components in the air to deodorize the air. The dust collection filter is composed of a HEPA filter and collects fine dust.

  A space 32 having a predetermined width is formed between the air cleaning filter unit 20 and the ventilation panel 28. By providing the space portion 32, the air that has passed through the air cleaning filter unit 20 flows smoothly into the vent hole 27, and pressure loss and noise can be reduced. The humidifying part 21 is disposed below the space part 32.

  FIG. 3 shows a front view of the air cleaning filter unit 20 in a detached state. The humidifying unit 21 includes a humidifying filter 22, a tray 23, and a water tank 24. The water tank 24 stores water for humidification, and is detachably installed on the side of the main body 10. The humidification filter 22 is closed on the back by a ventilation panel 28, and a part of the ventilation hole 27 is covered with a part of the humidification filter 22.

  A joint 24a is formed at the lower end of the water tank 24, and a handle portion 24c is formed at the upper surface. The joint 24 a is connected to a water supply port 23 a provided at one end of the tray 23 disposed at the lower part of the main body 10. A water stop valve 24b is provided in the joint 24a. When the water tank 24 is mounted on the tray 23, the water pressure valve 23 d of the water supply port 23 a of the tray 23 opens the water stop valve 24 a, and the water in the water tank 24 is supplied to the tray 23. When the water tank 24 is removed, the water stop valve 24b is closed to prevent water leakage.

  The tray 23 is provided with an opening (not shown) at the rear of the upper surface, and a humidifying filter 22 held by a holding frame 22a is inserted therein. Thereby, the lower end of the humidification filter 22 is immersed in the water in the tray 23. Further, since the humidifying filter 22 is disposed on the front surface of the blower 25, the humidifying filter 22 can be easily cleaned or replaced by removing the air cleaning filter unit 20 and extracting the humidifying filter 22 from the opening. In addition, if the humidification part 21 is arrange | positioned in the front surface of the air blower 25, the humidification part 21 can be installed below. For this reason, it is possible to prevent electrical components from being damaged due to water leakage from the tray 23 or the water tank 24.

  The humidifying filter 22 is made of a water-absorbing material having water absorption, and sucks up water in the tray 23 and retains it. Moreover, the humidification filter 22 is formed in the folding screen shape bent zigzag in the front-back direction. Thereby, a honeycomb-like air passage 22c is formed in a plan view extending in the vertical direction between the wall surfaces of the humidifying filter 22, and the air moves in the air passage 22c from below to above. By forming the air passage 22c in a honeycomb shape, an increase in pressure loss can be prevented.

  Further, as shown in the figure, the air passage 31 is provided in an annular shape around the blower 25 (see FIG. 2), and the ion generator 26 is disposed on the peripheral wall of the air passage 31. The first and second discharge parts 112 and 113 (see FIG. 5) of the ion generator 26 are arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the blower 25. Thereby, the air flow passing over the first discharge part 112 and the air flow passing over the second discharge part 113 circulate in parallel. Therefore, collisions between positive ions and negative ions are reduced. In addition, when the ion generator 26 is provided in the ventilation panel 28, since the airflow which passes on the 1st, 2nd discharge parts 112 and 113 is guide | induced to an outer peripheral direction with a centrifugal force, it will become easy to cross | intersect. Thereby, it becomes easy for positive ions and negative ions to collide.

  Further, a partition wall 41 that partitions the first and second discharge parts 112 and 113 is provided in the air passage 31. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a partition member 40 having a partition wall 41. The partition member 40 is made of a resin molded product, and is integrated with the ion generator 26 by sandwiching the ion generator 26 by a protrusion 44 provided behind.

  Openings 42 and 43 are provided in front of the partition member 40. The first discharge part 112 is exposed through the opening 42 so as to face the ventilation path 31, and the second discharge part 113 is exposed through the opening 43 so as to face the ventilation path 31. The partition wall 41 protrudes between the openings 42 and 43 and protrudes into the ventilation path 31.

  As a result, positive ions and negative ions generated in the first and second discharge parts 112 and 113 are separated by the partition wall 41. Therefore, collisions between positive ions and negative ions can be further reduced.

  In the air conditioner 1 having the above configuration, indoor air is taken into the main body 10 from the air inlet 13 when the blower 25 is driven. The air taken in from the intake port 13 passes through the air cleaning filter unit 20 as shown by an arrow A (see FIG. 2), and dust is collected, and viruses and allergens are inactivated. The air that has passed through the air cleaning filter unit 20 flows into the air passage 31 through the air vent 27.

  Further, the lower air that has passed through the air cleaning filter unit 20 collides with the humidifying filter 22 and is shielded on the back side, so that the water absorption material is bent along the folded wall surface as shown by an arrow B (see FIG. 2). The air passage 22c rises from below to above. At this time, the water retained in the humidifying filter 22 is vaporized and taken into the air flowing through the air passage 22 c, and the humidified air flows into the air passage 31 through the vent hole 27.

  In the air flowing through the air passage 31, ions released from the ion generator 26 and water molecules are mixed in the main body of the air cleaner 1. As a result, the water molecules are sent out into the room from the outlets 29 and 30 of the main body in a state of surrounding the ions.

  Further, a mode in which positive ions and negative ions are sent into the room and a mode in which only negative ions are sent into the room can be switched by operating the operation panel 15 (see FIG. 1). Thereby, positive ions and negative ions can be sent into the room to sterilize and remove odors from the floating bacteria floating in the room. Moreover, the mode can be switched and negative ions can be sent into the room to obtain a relaxation effect.

  The ions delivered into the room are surrounded by water molecules. At this time, when the humidification part 21 does not humidify the air, the particle diameter is estimated to be 2 to 3 nm. However, when the humidification part 21 is humidified, the number of water molecules increases and the particle diameter becomes about 18 nm. Presumed. For this reason, the degree of collision between airborne fungi such as fungi and viruses and ions increases. Further, when ions collide with dust in the air, the ions are protected by water molecules and disappearance is reduced. Therefore, the floating bacteria in the room can be quickly removed.

  Furthermore, when ions collide with fibers such as clothes, curtains, sofas, etc., the ions are surrounded by water molecules, so that they are protected and the disappearance of the ions is reduced. Therefore, ions surrounded by water molecules enter deep inside the fiber, surround and destroy the adhering odor component, and the odor can be removed quickly and efficiently.

  Similarly, when only negative ions are delivered into the room, the ions are similarly surrounded by moisture, and the disappearance of ions due to collision with dust is reduced. Therefore, the relaxation effect can be obtained efficiently and quickly.

  According to the present embodiment, the first discharge part 112 that generates positive ions and the second discharge part 113 that generates negative ions are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the airflow flowing through the air passage 31, and the first Since the partition wall 41 that partitions the second discharge parts 112 and 113 is provided in the air passage 31, collision between positive ions and negative ions can be reduced.

  When the ratio of positive ions and negative ions at a point 20 cm in front of the outlet 30 was actually measured, the ratio was 1.4 to 1 when the partition wall 41 was not provided, whereas the partition wall 41 was provided. In the case, it became 1: 1. Therefore, the disappearance of one ion due to the collision can be reduced, and a large amount of ions can be delivered stably in a balanced manner.

  In this embodiment, positive ions are generated by the first discharge unit 112 and negative ions are generated by the second discharge unit 113. However, the same ions are generated from the first and second discharge units 112 and 113. Similarly, the disappearance of ions due to collision can be reduced. Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrates the air cleaner 1, the air conditioner, dehumidifier, and humidifier which mount the ion generator 26 which has the 1st, 2nd discharge parts 112 and 113, and send out air In the air conditioning apparatus such as the same, it can be configured similarly. Furthermore, by integrating the partition wall 41 into the ion generator 26, a large amount of ions can be sent out in a balanced manner from a device on which the ion generator 26 is mounted.

  According to the present invention, it can be used for an air conditioner such as an air purifier, an air conditioner, a humidifier, and a dehumidifier that sends ions into the room.

The perspective view which shows the air cleaner of embodiment of this invention. Side surface sectional drawing which shows the air cleaner of embodiment of this invention The front view which shows the air cleaner of embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the ion generator of the air cleaner of embodiment of this invention. The top view which shows the ion generating element of the air cleaner of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the ion generating element of the air cleaner of embodiment of this invention The perspective view which shows the partition member of the air cleaner of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air cleaner 10 Main-body part 12 Front panel 13 Air inlet 14 Side air inlet 15 Operation panel 20 Air purifying filter unit 21 Humidifier 22 Humidifying filter 23 Tray 24 Water tank 25 Blower 26 Ion generator 27 Vent 28 Vent panel 29 , 30 Air outlet 31 Ventilation path 32 Space part 40 Partition member 41 Partition wall 110 Ion generating element (ion generating part)
112 1st discharge part 113 2nd discharge part

Claims (2)

Ion generation having a blower that takes in air from the intake port and sends it out from the air outlet through the air passage, and first and second discharge portions that are arranged adjacent to each other facing the air passage and generate ions An air conditioner comprising:
While generating positive ions by the first discharge part and negative ions by the second discharge part,
The first and second discharge parts are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the air flow flowing through the ventilation path, and an airflow passing through the first discharge part and an airflow passing through the second discharge part are parallel to each other. In circulation,
Furthermore, the air conditioning apparatus characterized by providing the partition wall which partitions the said 1st, 2nd discharge part in the said air flow path along the airflow.   The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air passage is provided around the blower, and the ion generation unit is disposed on a peripheral wall of the air passage.

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